Monday, January 13, 2014

Chai Shortbread

I had planned to wait on a snow day to use the snowflake shortbread pan I got for Christmas, but since it appears I may not get a snow day after all, I decided to go ahead and make some shortbread this weekend. And I don't know why, but it occurred to me I ought to toss the contents of a teabag full of chai tea in the mix and see what happened!

Happily, the result was just terrific, and I could still see the snowflake impression on the shortbread. It wasn't too much chai, and it wasn't too little. My recipe came off the Nordic Ware pan's package with the only change being the addition of the chai. Here's how I made it, and I'm sure any shortbread pan will do. Hope you try it, as I was mighty pleased!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter well, adding in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and finally the flour and tea. Knead dough until smooth. Firmly press into lightly-greased pan, and prick surface of dough with a fork. Bake for 30-35 minutes, just until light brown around the edges. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, loosen edges, and invert onto a plate. Cut along score lines while shortbread is still warm.